Light
Bright indirect • approx. 10,000–20,000 lux
Fabaceae
Christia obcordata
- Quality checked: Every plant is checked for health and quality before shipping.
- Product photos: Unless a size option states that the exact plant is shown, the photos represent the plant you can expect. Natural differences in leaf number, shape, colour and markings are normal.
- Size details: Pot diameter and approximate total height are shown with each size where available. Total height is measured from the base of the nursery pot to the highest leaf or stem.
VAT included · plus
Your plant may need a little time to settle after travelling. Our after-delivery care guide covers unpacking and first-week care. The houseplant acclimatisation guide explains what to expect during the following weeks.
- Plant care fundamentals: Understand the main principles behind healthy houseplant care.
- After delivery and first week: Unpacking, initial placement and settling in.
- Light and placement: Assess indoor light and choose a suitable position.
- Watering: Learn when and how to water houseplants.
- Potting mixes and roots: Choose a suitable potting mix and understand drainage.
- Humidity: Learn when additional humidity helps and how to provide it safely.
- Fertilising: Learn how and when to feed houseplants.
- Plant problems: Identify common symptoms and possible causes.
- Pest control: Identify common houseplant pests and suitable responses.
Every order is carefully packed and sent with tracking. If your plant arrives damaged or develops a problem covered by our 28-day guarantee, contact us with photos. Full conditions are available under Guarantee & Returns.
Visit our FAQ or contact customer support for help with orders, delivery or plant care.
Care at a glance
Christia obcordata
Watering
Water when ~40–60% dry
Substrate
Moisture-retentive but aerated • Evenly moist • Organic-leaning • Fine-medium
Temperature
Ideal: 18–29 °C • Avoid below: 10 °C
Humidity
Humid 60–80 % +
Growth habit
Upright herbaceous perennial.
Support
optional
Growth speed
Average
Max size indoors
Max. height: 90 cm • Max. spread: 60 cm
Toxicity & safety
Non-toxic
Origin & habitat
Native to tropical and subtropical Asia
Outdoor growing
Indoor only
How to read these values
These care values are quick reference points for indoor growing. Use them as a guide, then adjust for pot size, substrate, temperature and how quickly the substrate dries.
For more detail, read the full product description or visit our Plant Care Guides.
- Light: level and approximate lux at leaf level.
- Watering: “% dry” shows how far the substrate should dry before watering again.
- Substrate: structure, drainage, moisture retention, base material and particle size.
- Temperature: “Ideal” shows the preferred range; “Avoid below” marks the cold-stress threshold.
- Humidity: target range; steady conditions usually matter more than exact numbers.
- Growth habit: how the plant grows, such as upright, climbing, trailing, clumping or rosette-forming.
- Support: whether a stake, pole or trellis is needed, optional or unnecessary.
- Growth speed: expected pace under suitable indoor conditions; use as a guide, not a promise.
- Max size indoors: realistic long-term indoor size under good conditions.
- Toxicity & safety: irritation, toxicity or physical hazards such as spines or bristles.
- Origin & habitat: native range, hybrid background or typical habitat where relevant.
- Outdoor growing: when a potted indoor plant can be placed outside and what outdoor protection it needs.
Christia obcordata
Christia obcordata, Butterfly Plant, carries thin triangular to reverse-heart-shaped leaflets marked like wings. Fine burgundy, brown or red lines spread outwards across a pale green surface, often gathering into darker bands near the veins. Each compound leaf usually holds a larger terminal leaflet with smaller matching leaflets below it.
The delicate foliage sits on extremely fine stems and moves readily with passing air, making the separate wing shapes more noticeable. New leaves unfold pale before their coloured venation strengthens, and repeated branching steadily increases the number of striped wing shapes. Slender flower clusters can rise above the foliage and carry small pea-like blooms. As the plant fills out, overlapping leaflets create changing combinations of stripes while their individual butterfly outlines remain clearly separated.
Origin & background
Plant care
Issues & solutions
Safety
Names & etymology
Plant names, growth habits, natural habitats and indoor care guidance are checked against trusted botanical, habitat and horticultural references before publication.View our plant care resources and references.
Choose options
Christia obcordata
Sale price€29,00
FAQs about Christia obcordata
Recently viewed:
Sign up for Foliage Factory newsletter for early access to new arrivals and practical care tips that work in real homes.